Witch Doctor
Ella Byrne was not the only one in her family that was born with the capacity for wielding magic. In fact, she was another born into one of the longest lines of families of which could be classified as being magically adept. Her family tree could be traced back to some of the most powerful of the ‘gifted’; as they were often referred to by the families, themselves. Almost every member born into these lines of magic sensitive families possessed a unique ability different than those in other families. This unique ability was passed down through either the mother or father while occasionally, there were some children that possessed two. In those instances, an ability had been passed down through both sides of the family onto the child. On the other hand, it was also not uncommon to see this unique ability skip a generation. While some of these abilities were less exciting than those possessed by others, there were few that enjoyed magical powers that were truly astounding. Ella was one of these few. Ella’s mother Lourdes was one of the first and only of these individuals ever documented to have been born with her unique gift being that of the power to heal. Not only was this gift passed on to her daughter Ella, Ella’s ability was magnified significantly to that of her mother’s, giving Ella the power to heal on a much greater scale. While Ella’s mother held the gift to heal most wounds and broken bones, both in her and in others, Ella was born with the ability to heal multiple people at once including those that had been victims of severe injuries including severed limbs. In those cases, she could heal the limb as if the limb had never been removed from the body. In addition to that and also unlike her mother, Ella also had the ability to cure illnesses and diseases in others that would likely have proved fatal to their host. Ella’s father Ethan also had a unique ability that he passed down to Ella. This was the ability to control fire and manipulate it into any way, shape, or form he chose. Although Ethan’s ability to control fire was advanced, Ella’s was greater and developed at an earlier age than it did with her father. While those that belonged to these families often referred to themselves and others of their kind as "gifted", there was another name given to these types. Those names were witch, wizard or warlock and varied depending on the sex of the individual. Although it wasn’t necessarily considered an insult to be called such a name, it was out of fear of what would happen to those individuals that was the reason the term was not one of endearment. For this reason, it was rarely used by those that shared it practices. Although the time in which it occurred is not exact, many believe “Witch Hunts” or “The Burning Times” took place centuries ago. It is commonly believed that the earliest trial took place in the 1300s with the majority of trials taking place sometime between the years 1580 – 1630. While the last known of these vile acts was said to occur in roughly 1782, there are few remaining that know better than to believe in such nonsense. For, it is said that there belongs a secret order who still relishes in the task of carrying out such abominations, even to this day. This secret order is extremely good at what they do and even better at keeping their deeds invisible to the outside world. However, there are a select few that are aware these deeds exist, a select few that also question religion as the true motive for these hunters. Over the years as time has passed, since the death of Ella's mother at the hands of this secret order, Ethan Byrne has made it his mission to do everything in his power to hide and protect Ella. To give her as normal a life as could be expected for one such as her... ...Now Ella is a woman, twenty-seven to be exact. So, for the most part Ethan’s job is done. It is now time for Ella to protect herself and come out of hiding. She has been ready for a few years now, waiting anxiously till the time was right. The prophecy spoke of a time like this, a time when others would come. Others with extraordinary abilities like Ella, giving her the opportune time to come out of her hiding place. And the secret order would be none the wiser… Powers Healing, Buffs, Debuffs – Like few other witch and wizarding families, each member of Ella’s bloodline has possessed their own unique ability in addition to other magical abilities shared by various powerful witches and wizards. Ella’s unique ability is the power to heal at an unearthly rate. It is an ability that has rarely been exhibited by other witches or wizards on any level, if not nonexistent among the gifted, altogether. This very unusual gift that Witch Doctor possesses grants her the ability to heal both herself and others through various spells/auras. While she will often heal others via a cast or by touching them, unlike most other spells, no words need to be spoken by Ella to accomplish this feat. Furthermore, while healing others requires some thought on Ella’s part, her capacity for healing herself does not and is more regenerative in nature. In addition to this aptitude for healing, Ella can also cast spells to buff allies and debuff enemies by speaking the words to the appropriate spell(commands, curses and counter-curses). Fire Control/Manipulation – Witch Doctor can manipulate fire to immobilize/incapacitate foes, disorient foes via smoke screens or use the fire to directly damage them via flame, fireballs or immense heat Water Control/Manipulation – Witch Doctor can also manipulate water, but on a smaller scale when compared to her ability to manipulate fire Eldritch Blast – Witch Doctor can use her Eldritch powers to fire blasts of magical energy at objects or enemies Levitation – Witch Doctor can cast an aura encompassing her and/or her allies granting her and/or them the ability to levitate over great distances with varying speeds at her discretion Animate Objects – Witch Doctor can animate some inanimate objects Teleportation – Witch Doctor has the ability to teleport either herself or others Invisibility – Ella can render herself invisible via her magical cloak Shape-shifting – Witch Doctor can shape-shift into certain animate objects most often transforming her into a cloud of smoke in order to travel through tight spaces including keyholes in doors, cracks in floors, ventilation, or simply through the air as another means of travel Phasing – Witch Doctor can cast a spell allowing her to phase through most objects Extrasensory Perception (ESP) '' – Ella has demonstrated each of the following abilities that have been classified as a form of ESP: Clairvoyance (knowledge about some distant object or event, such as an unreported accident), Telepathy (reading others' thoughts or sending one's own to another), and precognition (predicting the future). Her episodes in regards to seeing and predicting the future have typically been through 'visions' which have occurred since childhood. However, she has yet to learn how to harness and control this ability at will and is relegated to having these visions unexpectedly. ''Flight – Witch Doctor can fly via her broom at speeds approaching 300mph Vulnerabilities Witch Doctor is more powerful than she realizes and has only scratched the surface of her true potential. In addition, her caring and forgiving nature could prove to be a liability in some instances. Witch Doctor has no other known weaknesses or vulnerabilities. However, even with her gift to heal on a superhuman level, she is still human and is limited as such. Ella is the extremely kind, nurturing type. She is very outgoing and is often involved in charitable work. She has a calm, cool, and collected nature about her. This lends itself well to either the task of playing the role of a soldier or being that of a confident leader when the time calls for it. She is also known to be vivacious and sometimes even flirtatious. She is considered by most of her peers to have movie-star good looks to go along with her bubbly personality. Although Ella was often forced to switch schools as a child (in an effort to protect her), she's always had a lot going for her. Ella was always extremely well-liked and popular among her schoolmates, was a gifted athlete and high school soccer-star and is a natural when it comes to music. Ella is so musically gifted that she might have been considered a child prodigy if it were not for her low-key upbringing and the desire of her father to keep most of her talents hidden. Magical Broom - Her main piece of equipment is a magical broom which is the source of the fire that she controls. While Ella can manipulate the fire in any way even increasing its size/volume, she is unable to create fire on her own and must gather the fire from a source. This is typically the straw end of her broom which is continuously burning. She has also been known to use her ability to animate inanimate objects as a means to create the spark she needs. Magical Cloak - Witch Doctor's cloak can conform to her wishes and as long as it encompasses her, grants her the power of invisibility if she so chooses. Potions/Elixirs - Witch Doctor uses various potions/elixirs and other concoctions derived from her skills in alchemy and wealth of knowledge in the mystic arts. Witch Doctor has been known to occasionally use other magical items that are at her disposal. Pet/Companion - Witch Doctor is often accompanied by her pet raven, Cinder, in which she regularly uses as a scout or spy. She can cast a spell that grants her the power to see whatever Cinder sees. ©2003 Brad Clark - All rights reserved. Ella Byrne and Witch Doctor, including all related characters, background story and content was created by and is the sole property of Brad Clark. Any resemblance to real people, living or dead, is strictly coincidental.